This episode collection was all right with me, but in the eyes of my son, it could do no wrong, and as he is the one actually in the age demographic, this will be the one time where I defer to the opinion of a three-year-old. In this ten-episode collection, Marshall takes charge and leads the pups from everything from a blaze at a lemonade stand to saving a lost penguin. This disc marks the first time that my son has willingly sat through the watching of something from start to finish. It’s not all that surprising, as he was a fan of the series before this disc, but I still found it significant, because he does remain selective about which episodes he watches. Fortunately, Marshall is among his favorite of the crew, especially now that Rubble is off doing his own thing. Luckily, Rubble also featured in this episode collection, so my son got the best of both worlds.
For those not in the know, though I suspect that is very few, Paw Patrol is a Canadian animated series that focuses on a young boy named Ryder who leads a crew of search and rescue dogs that work together on missions to protect the shoreside community of Adventure Bay and surrounding areas. Each dog has a specific set of skills based on emergency services professions, such as a firefighter, a police officer, and an aviation pilot. They all reside in doghouses that transform into customized vehicles, or “pupmobiles”, for their missions. They are also equipped with special hi-tech backpacks called “pup packs” that contain tools relating to the pups’ jobs. The series has completed 11 seasons (which many of the episodes in this collection are from) and has spawned at least three feature films along with a spin-off series featuring the popular character Rubble.
A majority of the episodes are mini-episodes with the exception of “Pups Save the Big BBQ and Pups Save Lizzy’s Lemonade Blaze” which are more full-length episodes. The episodes feature multiple emergencies, in which the pups are dispatched to avert some kind of disaster. My son had more of a preference for the mini-episodes as they offered changing settings and scenarios. Personally, I found the full-length episodes more engaging, as those felt less rushed and allowed time to establish the circumstances. If I had to pick a favorite for myself, I’d go with the BBQ episode, as it instilled the importance of being proactive and putting safety first. This was shown by the pups installing smoke detectors, giving fire extinguishers, and installing fire hydrants throughout town. If I had to say which my son preferred, I’d say the S’more-mergency episode, but I suspect that it had more to do with the dessert theme than the episode’s subject matter.
The episodes unfold in a straightforward manner designed for the demographic preschooler and give fairly good context and lessons that are easily followed and digestible. While the show is not intended to be an interactive one, that didn’t stop my son from engaging with the characters as if he was actually there with them. To that end, I would consider the show a success, as it accomplished what it was supposed to accomplish: to hook and engage the minds of young children. Things got tedious for me about halfway through, but as I said, this was the first time that my son sat still and finished something all the way through. All it took was some bright colors and talking pups.
